Antiparasitics are a class ofmedications which are indicated for the treatment ofparasitic diseases, such as those caused byhelminths,[1]amoeba,[2]ectoparasites,parasitic fungi,[3] andprotozoa,[1] among others. Antiparasitics target the parasitic agents of the infections by destroying them or inhibiting their growth;[4] they are usually effective against a limited number of parasites within a particular class. Antiparasitics are one of theantimicrobialdrugs which includeantibiotics that targetbacteria, andantifungals that targetfungi. They may be administeredorally,intravenously ortopically.[4] Overuse or misuse of antiparasitics can lead to the development ofantimicrobial resistance.
Broad-spectrum antiparasitics, analogous tobroad-spectrum antibiotics for bacteria, are antiparasitic drugs with efficacy in treating a wide range of parasitic infections caused by parasites from different classes.
Antiparasitics treat parasitic diseases, which impact an estimated 2 billion people.[1]
Antiparastics may be given via a variety of routes depending on the specific medication, including oral, topical, and intravenous.[4]
Resistance to antiparasitics has been a growing concern, especially in veterinary medicine. TheEgg hatch assay can be used to determine whether a parasite causing an infection has become resistant to standard drug treatments.[10]
Early antiparasitics were ineffective, frequently toxic to patients, and difficult to administer due to the difficulty in distinguishing between the host and the parasite.[4]
Between 1975 and 1999 only 13 of 1,300 new drugs were antiparasitics, which raised concerns that insufficient incentives existed to drive development of new treatments for diseases that disproportionately target low-income countries. This led to new public sector andpublic-private partnerships (PPPs), including investment by theBill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Between 2000 and 2005, twenty new antiparasitic agents were developed or in development.[11] Metal-containing compounds are the subject of another avenue of approach.[12]
In the last decades, triazolopyrimidines and their metal complexes have been looked at as an alternative drug to the existing commercial antimonials, searching for a decrease in side effects and the development of parasite drug resistance.[13]
Nitazoxanide [NTZ: 2-acetyloxy-N-(5-nitro-2-thiazolyl)benzamide] is a thiazolide antiparasitic agent with excellent activity against a wide variety of protozoa and helminths. ... Nitazoxanide (NTZ) is a main compound of a class of broad-spectrum anti-parasitic compounds named thiazolides. It is composed of a nitrothiazole-ring and a salicylic acid moiety which are linked together by an amide bond ... NTZ is generally well tolerated, and no significant adverse events have been noted in human trials [13]. ... In vitro, NTZ and tizoxanide function against a wide range of organisms, including the protozoal species Blastocystis hominis, C. parvum, Entamoeba histolytica, G. lamblia and Trichomonas vaginalis [13]
